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Germany

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An in-depth analysis of Germany's trajectory through its foreign and European policies, its relations with France, its economy and its domestic politics, offering a perspective on the country and its role in the world.

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State Elections in Thuringia, Saxony and Brandenburg - Extreme Parties on the Rise?

Date de publication
24 September 2024
Accroche

The Alternative for Germany (AfD) became Germany's strongest political force in the regional elections in Thuringia and Saxony.

NATO: 75 Years of Strategic Solidarity (replay)

03 October 2024
Accroche

The war in Ukraine, burden-sharing between Allies, U.S. disengagement from Europe, new areas of conflict... At a time when the Alliance has just celebrated its 75th anniversary and the Stoltenberg era is drawing to a close after ten years at the head of the organization, NATO's agenda bears witness to the diversity of its areas of action, as well as to the different perceptions of the Allies on these issues.

In the wake of the Washington summit, this conference of diplomats, military officers and researchers aims to analyze the short- and medium-term prospects for the Atlantic Alliance.

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Between „Strategic Autonomy” and „Zeitenwende”: The Importance of Trade Between The EU and Mercosur

Date de publication
11 September 2024
Accroche

This policy paper analyses the geopolitical and economic significance of the EU-Mercosur agreement for the European Union (EU) in the context of the EU’s new European Economic Security Strategy.

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Germany and France agree Ukraine may strike Russian Military Targets

29 May 2024
Accroche

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Germany would not prohibit Ukrainian attacks on Russian military targets, saying Ukraine "is allowed to defend itself."

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Neither Left nor Right, but Both? The Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) in the Wake of European Elections

Date de publication
02 July 2024
Accroche

The 2024 European elections not only provided the occasion for a new German party, the “Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht” (BSW), to emerge but also to obtain 6.2% of the vote.

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'Depth of Franco-German bond': Macron to meet German president in rare state visit

24 May 2024
Accroche

French President Emmanuel Macron will visit his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Berlin on Sunday in what is seen as the highest level of diplomatic courtesy gestures.

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Franco-German relation faces familiar challenge ahead of Macron’s Germany trip

24 May 2024
Accroche

Franco-German symbolism, rather than bickering over policy, will briefly take centre stage when French President Emmanuel Macron meets German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Berlin on Sunday (26 May) during a three-day state visit, the first in 24 years. 

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German Ports and China: How to Reconcile Openness, Resilience and Security?

Date de publication
29 April 2024
Accroche

Germany is dependent on its ports for the smooth running of its open economic model and has benefited from globalization in recent decades when the internationalization of its value chains strengthened its competitiveness. Yet, with today’s hardening geopolitics, the vulnerabilities of Europe’s leading economic power are becoming apparent. 

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How Macron and Scholz broke the Franco-German alliance at the heart of the EU

24 March 2024
Accroche

Breakdown of continental partnership is a threat to Europe – and could be catastrophic for Ukraine. It was meant to be a patching up of the notoriously fraught Macron-Scholz relationship, a “reset”, to borrow Hillary Clinton’s expression.

France's Partner on a Pedestal: A View Driven by Pragmatism and Envy

Date de publication
01 May 2012
Accroche

This paper brings together contributions from a cross-section of EU member states and the Gallup World Poll survey on the question of how Germany is being viewed at this time of economic and political crisis.

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State Elections in Thuringia, Saxony and Brandenburg - Extreme Parties on the Rise?

Date de publication
24 September 2024
Accroche

The Alternative for Germany (AfD) became Germany's strongest political force in the regional elections in Thuringia and Saxony.

Image principale

Between „Strategic Autonomy” and „Zeitenwende”: The Importance of Trade Between The EU and Mercosur

Date de publication
11 September 2024
Accroche

This policy paper analyses the geopolitical and economic significance of the EU-Mercosur agreement for the European Union (EU) in the context of the EU’s new European Economic Security Strategy.

France's Partner on a Pedestal: A View Driven by Pragmatism and Envy

Date de publication
01 May 2012
Accroche

This paper brings together contributions from a cross-section of EU member states and the Gallup World Poll survey on the question of how Germany is being viewed at this time of economic and political crisis.

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Zeitenwende: The Bundeswehr’s Paradigm Shift

Date de publication
29 September 2023
Accroche

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, marked a turning point in German defense policy. After thirty years of military downsizing, the Bundeswehr found itself at an extremely low capability level just as a high-intensity war involving a great power was breaking out on Europe’s doorstep for the first time since 1945. Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s response was to embrace this “turning point” (Zeitenwende) by launching a major program to reequip Germany’s armed forces.

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Attention to the Periphery? Germany and the Pacific Island States

Date de publication
21 December 2022
Accroche

In September 2020, Germany adopted policy guidelines for the Indo-Pacific that comprehensively set out its approach towards this increasingly important region, seeking to diversify partnerships beyond China.

French Foreign Policy in the Age of Polycrisis

Date de publication
19 November 2019
Accroche

Under the presidency of Emmanuel Macron, France has set itself the goal of strengthening its international presence, being more proactive and defining the European reform agenda. However, the French room for manoeuver is limited.

France, Germany and European defence: more pragmatism and less pathos, please

Date de publication
12 January 2013
Accroche

At the time of the 50th anniversary celebrations of the Elysée treaty in January 2013, the Franco-German defence cooperation is not at its best.

Germany's Unnecessary Hegemony

Date de publication
22 September 2014
Accroche

Based on the realist theory of international relations, this article analyses whether Germany has any incentives to seek (regional) hegemony. It concludes that under the current systemic circumstances – in which the country's survival is ensured by the United States – Germany has no reason to become a hegemon, which is normally a strategy to escape the perils of the anarchic international system. 

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Germany and the Eastern Partnership after the Ukraine Crisis

Date de publication
29 January 2016
Accroche

The conflict in and about Ukraine has catapulted the European Union's Eastern Partnership (EaP) into the limelight of international attention. Belittled as a bureaucratic and technical policy instrument, the European Neighbourhood Policy and the EaP as its Eastern regional dimension have within the course of a few months gained unexpected geopolitical significance. 

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Deploying the Bundeswehr: more transparency, more flexibility, but Parliament’s consent remains key - The Rühe Commission’s final report

Date de publication
17 June 2015
Accroche

Besides the often invoked historical dimension behind Germany’s strategic culture of restraint, there are today very tangible legal reasons that prevent assertive German military interventionism (which are, of course, directly linked to the historical dimension): any intervention of the German armed forces requires the Bundestag’s consent. 

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Germany and France agree Ukraine may strike Russian Military Targets

29 May 2024
Accroche

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Germany would not prohibit Ukrainian attacks on Russian military targets, saying Ukraine "is allowed to defend itself."

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euronews_logo_2.jpg
Image principale médiatique

'Depth of Franco-German bond': Macron to meet German president in rare state visit

24 May 2024
Accroche

French President Emmanuel Macron will visit his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Berlin on Sunday in what is seen as the highest level of diplomatic courtesy gestures.

Logo
the_telegraph.png
Image principale médiatique

How Macron and Scholz broke the Franco-German alliance at the heart of the EU

24 March 2024
Accroche

Breakdown of continental partnership is a threat to Europe – and could be catastrophic for Ukraine. It was meant to be a patching up of the notoriously fraught Macron-Scholz relationship, a “reset”, to borrow Hillary Clinton’s expression.

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Macron and Scholz Meet to Patch up Their Fraying Ties

14 March 2024
Accroche

Allies fret that Franco-German animosity is undermining western unity over Ukraine. Emmanuel Macron will arrive in Berlin on Friday for talks designed to repair a fractured Franco-German relationship marred by caustic public spats and mutual recriminations over the war in Ukraine.

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The Nuclear Dispute Driving a Wedge Between France and Germany

15 October 2023
Accroche

The two nations have opposing ideas about atomic energy, threatening the EU’s transition away from fossil fuels.

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Can Politics and Business Align? Policy, Transparency and Logistics

25 September 2023
Accroche

Politics and business can be intertwined in many ways but also conflicting. This is especially the case regarding foreign investments and possible influence by third countries in Europe, for example.

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France, Germany play safe during China Premier Li's European trip

23 June 2023
Accroche

HAMBURG, Germany -- Chinese Premier Li Qiang avoided public clashes on a high-profile visit to Germany and France this week, in what analysts see as a sign of the European nations' reluctance to alienate Beijing.

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In the middle of the race, the Franco-German motor seems to be breaking down

09 April 2023
Accroche

Faced with the risk of losing investments in the technologies of the future, due to subsidies that its global competitors are pumping into their economies, the European Union is forced to rethink its industrial policy.

The United States and Europe risk entering into a subsidy war, each trying to support the competitiveness of their economies… their market economies… with public money. Meanwhile, member states expect from Brussels solutions that will allow them to remain relevant in a world where interventionism is the order of the day.

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Macron is weak both at home and abroad. He eventually pushed through a breakthrough reform without a vote.

18 March 2023
Accroche

Since the war against Ukraine, France has been on the edge of the European Union, according to an expert on French politics.

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At the Sorbonne, Macron and Scholz pass the remedial oral

21 January 2023
Accroche

From the cupola of the great amphitheater of the Sorbonne, the five large medallions in monochrome representing the sciences, letters, law, medicine and theology will judge the event. Sunday January 22, in the morning, in one of the oldest universities on the continent (founded in 1253), the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz must meet Emmanuel Macron, where the French President made his great speech on Europe in 2017.

NATO: 75 Years of Strategic Solidarity (replay)

03 October 2024
Accroche

The war in Ukraine, burden-sharing between Allies, U.S. disengagement from Europe, new areas of conflict... At a time when the Alliance has just celebrated its 75th anniversary and the Stoltenberg era is drawing to a close after ten years at the head of the organization, NATO's agenda bears witness to the diversity of its areas of action, as well as to the different perceptions of the Allies on these issues.

In the wake of the Washington summit, this conference of diplomats, military officers and researchers aims to analyze the short- and medium-term prospects for the Atlantic Alliance.

Support independent French research

Ifri, a foundation recognized as being of public utility, relies largely on private donors – companies and individuals – to guarantee its sustainability and intellectual independence. Through their funding, donors help maintain the Institute's position among the world's leading think tanks. By benefiting from an internationally recognized network and expertise, donors refine their understanding of geopolitical risk and its consequences on global politics and the economy. In 2024, Ifri will support more than 70 French and foreign companies and organizations.

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Related centers and programs
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The Pariser Platz (Paris Square) on the east side of the Brandenburg Gate at Berlin, Germany
The Study Committee on Franco-German Relations (Cerfa)
Accroche centre

The Study Committee on Franco-German Relations (Cerfa) was created in 1954 by an inter-governmental agreement between the Federal Republic of Germany and France, in order to raise awareness of Germany in France and analyze Franco-German relations, including in their European and international dimensions. In its conferences and seminars, which bring together experts, political leaders, senior decision-makers and representatives of civil society from both countries, Cerfa develops the Franco-German debate and stimulates political proposals. It regularly publishes studies through two collections: Cerfa notes and studies as well as Franco-German visions.

 

Cerfa maintains close relations with the network of German foundations and think tanks. In addition to its research and debate activities, Cerfa promotes the emergence of a new Franco-German generation through original cooperation programs. This is how in 2021-2022, Cerfa led a program on multilateralism with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Paris. This program is aimed at young professionals from both countries interested in the issues of multilateralism in the context of their activities. It covered a wide range of themes relating to multilateralism, such as international trade, health, human rights and migration, non-proliferation and disarmament. Previously, Cerfa had participated in the Franco-German future dialogue, co-led with the DGAP from 2007 to 2020, and supported by the Robert Bosch Foundation and the Daniel Vernet group (formerly the Franco-German Reflection Group) which was founded in 2014 upon the initiative of the Genshagen Foundation.

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